And When We Came Crashing Together
by DreamsFromADistance
Summary: Set at the beginning of season 2. Emma and Regina hate each other, more so now than before the curse was broken. That is, until a car crash unexpectedly brings the two together. Starts Pre-SQ, but SQ endgame.
1. What Happened at 8:15 PM

_**A/N:**_ _Hi everyone! I'm back with another story idea that I just couldn't get out of my head. For those of you reading my other stories, I promise to get updating on them soon! As for this story, this first chapter is pretty angsty, but the whole story will not be that way. This story will also not follow the season 2 storyline (so Emma and Mary Margaret won't end up in the Enchanted Forest, no appearance by Cora and Hook, and no Greg and Tamara)._

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own OUAT, its characters, or its storylines._

 _Set at beginning of season 2. Emma and Regina hate each other, more so now than before the curse was broken. That is, until a car crash unexpectedly brings the two together. Starts as Pre-SwanQueen, but SwanQueen endgame._

* * *

 _~And When We Came Crashing Together~_

 _Chapter One: What Happened at 8:15 PM_

It all happened too fast.

They were all having dinner, as per Henry's request. It was the fourth time Emma had joined her and Henry for dinner. The blonde had also graced them with her presence the last two Saturdays, which of course was all Henry's doing as well. She only agreed to let her spend the day with them because of him. Regina was trying her best to show Henry that she had changed. She even made the promise to him that she would not use magic, despite how tempting it was after Gold brought it to Storybrooke shortly after the curse had been broken three weeks ago.

Pretending to get along with one other wasn't particularly easy for the both of them. They still argued with each other constantly when Henry wasn't around, and Regina had her suspicions of Emma trying to steal Henry away from her for good. Somehow, they had managed to set aside their differences when they were with Henry.

Regina knew it wouldn't last. One of them would snap. But she was determined it wasn't going to be her. So when she noticed Emma's discomfort with trying to keep her cool that night, she took the opportunity to push her over the edge. Make this look like Emma's fault, and Henry would be mad at her. And that was exactly what Regina needed. A reason for Henry to want to spend less time with his birth mother and more time with her.

The minute Emma connected eyes with her, she gave her a fake smile that she knew would piss her off. It worked immediately.

If Regina had known the outcome of the night, she would have held back that smile.

Emma looked away from her gaze quickly and let the fork drop from her hand. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

Henry stopped talking and turned to look at her with a frown on his face.

 _And now for the finish._

"Is it the lasagna?" Regina asked coolly, her eyes not leaving Emma's face. "I know I haven't always made the best lasagna…"

The blonde glared at her. "Seriously? You really think it's the lasagna?"

Regina looked down at her plate, as if she were upset by her comment. She listened to the conversation that ensued, refraining from grinning at her victory.

Emma stood up from her chair. "I'm sorry, Henry. I know you want this to work, but I'm afraid it's just not going to." Regina heard the blonde turn on her heel and begin to march out of the dining room.

"Mom, wait!" Henry pushed back his chair as he stood up. "Please don't go!" He went to follow her, but despite his pleas for her to stay, Regina only heard her footsteps grow fainter. She would be out of her house in a matter of a few seconds.

 _Hope the door hits you on the way out._

Regina took another bite of her lasagna as the front door slammed shut. Henry reappeared a few moments later.

"What did you do?"

She looked up and saw him facing her with a harsh stare.

"I didn't do anything, dear. I was simply listening to you talk about your day at school."

"No. You did something. She wouldn't have left if you didn't do something. Did you use magic?"

"Henry. Does it look like I used magic? She left on her own terms. I honestly don't know what happened. She just… Snapped." She picked up her glass of water and took a drink to hide her smirk.

"I thought you were trying to change."

Regina placed the glass down carefully on the table. "I am."

"Then prove it. If you are really trying to change, go find her and bring her back."

She didn't really have a choice. For Henry, she had to.

It had been raining heavily that night. It only seemed to get worse once she left the house.

Now that she thought about it, maybe it was foreshadowing what was to come.

Regina took off in her Mercedes and found the familiar yellow Volkswagen rather quickly. She knew Emma had spotted her because she sped up right away. It became clear where she was leading her to as she followed close behind. And it was the very last place she wanted to be.

The town line.

Emma knew she would be forced to stop her car if the blonde dared to cross the line. Regina wouldn't lose her memories, but she would lose something she couldn't let go of—her magic.

But she had made the promise to Henry.

He would argue she didn't need her magic. If she gave up her magic and crossed that town line to bring Emma home, Henry would really think she had changed.

She didn't have much time to think.

Like she said before, it all happened too fast.

She saw the "Leaving Storybrooke" sign in the distance when she began to lose control of her car. Something was up with Emma's car as well. Before she could do anything to prevent the worst from happening, she got blinded by a flash of lightning that hit the forest near to them.

Regina didn't remember much after that, but she knew what happened.

She hit Emma.

At fucking 8:15pm.

She never saw the damage. She had only seen the time on the clock and mumbled a few words before she blacked out.

"I'm sorry, Henry."

* * *

When Mary Margaret answered David's call that evening, she expected it to be like any other call she had received from him those last three weeks. He was about to head home from the station. She imagined that Emma would be coming home soon, and she could hear all about how the dinner with Regina went.

"Hello, Charming. I expect you'll be home soon?"

"No. I'm heading to the hospital. I need you to pick up Henry and meet me there."

"Okay." She rushed to get her keys and put on her coat. "David? What happened?"

"Emma. She got in a car crash."

"What? How did that happen? She was at Regina's!"

"I know. And you'll never guess who else was involved."

No.

She wouldn't…

Her voice was a whisper when she responded.

"Regina."

"Yes."

"How bad is it, David?"

"I don't know. I didn't get out to the scene, but from the report I know Emma got the worst of it. Regina hit her. She fucking hit our daughter, Mary Margaret."

She tensed at her husband's words. She rarely heard him swear. "But why?"

"Why do you think? She has no soul that woman. All she cares about is making us suffer. Even after fucking twenty eight years, she still wants bloodshed."

She ran out to her car and jumped inside before the heavy rain could soak her too much. "I thought she was trying to change for Henry."

David sighed. "I know you believed in her to change. That there was some ounce of good left in her still. But we've given her enough chances show us that. And this? This was the last straw. She is not the same woman who saved you from the wild steed all those years ago. Regina is a villain, and she is never going to change because she just can't let go of the past."

"Yeah. I suppose you're right." She shook her head. "What am I going to tell Henry?"

"Just tell him they were involved in a crash. That's all. Don't say Regina hit Emma. If he asks, just say that it's inconclusive as who hit who right now."

"Okay."

The tears were starting to come. It had only been three weeks. Three weeks! She had barely gotten to know Emma as her daughter. She hadn't even heard her call her "Mom" yet. Hell, Emma was still working into the idea of seeing her and David as her parents. They had so much time to make up for… They couldn't lose their baby now!

"Emma's going to be okay. Our daughter's a fighter."

"I know. I know she is."

"I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah. Soon."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Mary Margaret hung up the phone then.

 _Why?_

 _Why, Regina?_

 _My baby…. You hurt my baby!_

She slammed her fists on the steering wheel.

"When is this going to end, Regina? When is enough?"

* * *

When Regina opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital room. She had no idea how she had gotten there. Who had come to her rescue. What the time was, whether it was still the same day as the accident. She couldn't even remember how her car had collided with Emma's. But it happened.

 _I hit Emma._

 _I hit her._

 _Henry is never going to forgive me for that._

She turned her head slightly and was greeted with an instant flash of pain.

 _8:15._

 _What are the odds?_

 _I hit her at 8:15 of all times._

 _The same damn time the clock tower was frozen at during the curse._

She slowly raised her arm to her head, but she could only bring it up halfway. She glanced downward immediately and saw both of her arms were handcuffed to the bed.

 _You've got to be kidding me._

If her head didn't hurt so badly, she would be shaking it.

 _Idiots. You really think these will restrain me?_

She flicked her wrist and waited for the handcuffs to disappear. She frowned when nothing happened.

 _What the hell?_

She tried again, but with no success.

"Yeah, nice try, but that's not going to work."

Regina looked up and saw David standing in the doorway. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What have you done to me? Why won't my magic work?"

"Your magic has been restrained since you can no longer be trusted." He nodded towards her left hand, and she held it up to inspect it. There was a black cuff around her wrist, and she figured the Charmings had procured it somehow during the time she was out. She suspected that "somehow" had to deal with Gold. "Oh, and don't think you'll be able to take it off. Only Mary Margaret and I have the annotate."

"Well, it's not like Henry wanted me to use my magic anyway." She settled back in her bed. "What hell do you want, Charming?"

He walked over to her bedside. "You hit Emma."

"I didn't do it intentionally."

"I highly doubt that."

"What? You think I would kill her? I couldn't do that to Henry."

"You tried to put her under a sleeping curse."

"So maybe I did that. It doesn't mean this crash was something I meant to do to her. The weather was bad, and the road was slick. I lost control of my car and so did Emma. And after that, I honestly don't know what happened."

"Or you just don't want to remember what happened."

Regina glared at him. "I am telling the truth. She left dinner, and Henry wanted me to find her and bring her back. Ask him. I promised him I'd bring her back."

"You promised, huh?" David shook his head. "Didn't keep that one, did you?"

She opened her mouth, but she couldn't form the words to fire back with a remark. What could she say? She hadn't kept her promise to Henry, and now she was responsible for Emma's…

Shit.

No. She hadn't…

Henry would never want anything to do with her if that had happened.

"She's… She's not dead, is she?"

"No. But you did a pretty good number on her. You're lucky she's not dead. You would surely be done for if she was."

"Look. I'm sorry about what happened. I really did not mean to hit her."

"Sure you didn't." He began turned around when Mary Margaret came running into the room. "Mary Margaret?"

"Emma woke up."

"Well, that's great news."

"Yes, but… Something's wrong, and we need Regina."

"I'd gladly help you, dear, but I'm a little stuck at the moment." Regina gave her a curt smile and raised both of her arms to emphasize the metal cuffs that locked her to the hospital bed. "Thanks to you two, of course."

Mary Margaret ignored her mocking tone. "She's completely in a panic. She's screaming for Regina."

"She's probably just remembering when Regina hit her. She's screaming out of fear. Let's go talk to her."

He headed to the doorway, but Mary Margaret stepped in front of him, shaking her head. "No, David. I've already tried to calm her down, but she only got more agitated. She's scared, and for some reason, she only wants to talk to her."

"You can't be serious. We can't leave her alone with Emma. Not after what she did to her."

"I know, but…"

Dr. Whale knocked on the door, causing the three of them to look towards him. "It's getting worse. The both of you need to make a decision, and fast. Either I'm bringing Regina over to the room or we're sedating Emma."

Mary Margaret looked up at David with tears in her eyes. "Please, David. _Please._ I don't want them to sedate her."

David glanced back at Regina, reluctantly reached in his pocket to pull out the key to the handcuffs, and then nodded to Whale. "We'll get Regina over there." He came back to her bedside and began to take off the first cuff. "I might be taking off these handcuffs, but you're not getting your magic back."

"Oh, I didn't think I would. That's okay. I can be patient."

He glared at her as he pulled the other cuff off, a little more forcefully than the first one. "You will not hurt her."

"What? Did you think I would go in there and strangle her with my bare hands?"

"You are going to help our daughter," Mary Margaret yelled suddenly. "If you hurt Emma any more than you already have, I swear I will kill you myself."

Regina couldn't keep the smirk off her face. "Snow White kill me? I'd like to see that happen."

"You're powerless without your magic, and you know it," David snarled at her.

She folded her arms across her chest. "And if you kill me? I'm sure your grandson would be very appreciative of that."

Whale stepped in, rolling a wheelchair over to her side. "All of you can argue later. I need to get her over there now."

David faced her with a serious stare as Whale helped her out of the bed and into the wheelchair. She glanced at Mary Margaret briefly as she rushed out of the room and then met David's eyes when he began to speak.

"Promise me that you will help her."

As much as she didn't want to make a promise to him, she knew she had to. If she didn't agree to it, she would lose Henry and that was not a sacrifice she wanted to make.

"I promise. I'll help Emma."

It only took a minute to get to the room. As soon as she was in the hallway, she could hear Emma's distressed cries. She held her breath as they approached the doorway. She never really cared about the blonde's wellbeing, but hearing her sound so scared… So vulnerable... Well, deep down it struck a chord. Despite the past she shared with her insufferable parents, she didn't like what she was hearing. This wasn't the same Emma she had been sitting across from at the dinner table. This Emma was completely helpless.

One smile to piss her off and this was the result.

She never meant it to end like this.

David stepped aside as Whale wheeled her into the room. Mary Margaret was at Emma's side, trying to take hold of her hand, but Emma was not having it. Regina rolled her eyes. The woman knew she didn't want anything to do with her, and here she was sparking the fire yet again by getting close to her. Emma was obviously in a frantic state at the moment and needed space from her. The blonde shook her head fiercely and started to scream at her.

"No! No! I don't want to talk to you! Get away from me!"

"Emma, honey. It's okay."

"No! Go away!"

 _When does Snow ever know when to stop meddling with things?_

"You tell me Emma doesn't want to talk to you and yet here you are, aggravating her more." She smiled kindly at Emma when she looked at her. "You wanted to talk to me, dear?"

The blonde's reply came as a whisper. "Regina."

She gave a small nod, being cautious of the growing throbbing in her head. "I can take it from here. I'll yell if I need you two." She smirked. "Or Emma will."

Mary Margaret frowned at her last sentence, but instead of fighting with her, she followed Whale out of the room and left the two alone. Regina stood up slowly from the wheelchair and leaned on to footboard of the hospital bed for support. She was not looking forward to this long recovery.

"So. Heard that you were screaming for me?"

"Yes," Emma said hoarsely.

"I can imagine you remember that I hit you with my car."

"You… You did?"

"You don't remember the crash?"

"I mean, I remember there was an accident. But how it happened, or when it happened, I have no idea. The only thing I really remember is yelling your name before our cars collided and seeing your face… You looked so damn afraid, Regina. Like you knew you lost everything. And I thought… I thought you may have been dead."

"Well, I'm here. I'm alive."

"I thought they were trying to hide the fact that you'd died."

Regina followed Emma's gaze towards the glass windows, and she knew she was referring to her parents. "No, but they didn't exactly want me here."

"Oh."

She looked back at the blonde. "I'm sorry about what happened. This was my fault. I angered you at dinner, and if it hadn't been for that..."

"We had dinner?"

"Yes. You, me, and Henry. You don't remember that either?"

"No."

"Well, I suppose that night is somewhat hazy. Even I can't remember everything that happened. It'll come back to you."

Emma seemed distracted, lost in thought at something she had said earlier. She waited for the question to come and was completely thrown off guard when she asked it.

"Who's Henry?"

"Henry's your son, Emma. You don't remember him?"

The blonde's green eyes began to water. "I mean, I know I have a son, but I gave him up for adoption years ago. I never thought I'd see him again, and, well, I guess I have. You're his adoptive mother then?"

"Yes."

"You're okay with violating the terms of the closed adoption?"

Regina only nodded, at a loss for words at her realization that Emma had completely forgotten who her son was. If she didn't remember meeting Henry, then that meant she wouldn't remember the curse being broken. Or that the woman trying to comfort her earlier was her mother. That her mother was Snow White and her father was Prince Charming and that she was born in the Enchanted Forest.

She had no idea that she was the Evil Queen. She was simply Regina, the face of the woman she had crashed into.

Emma interrupted her thoughts. "Where are we? This looks like a rather small hospital for Boston."

"That's because you're not in Boston. You're in Storybrooke. Storybrooke, Maine."

She laughed. "What? Storybrooke? I don't think I've ever heard of it before."

"Most people haven't. It's a... Small town."

"Oh. Okay. Hm. I honestly don't remember why I'd be heading here. But I guess I must have been visiting with you and Henry since you said we were eating dinner before the crash. You said I got mad? What happened?"

Regina wasn't interested in conversing about the dinner. She needed to determine how much of the past Emma had forgotten.

"Tell me, Emma. What's the date?"

She didn't know the date herself, but she knew the day of the dinner was on May 12th, 2012. That the crash had happened at 8:15 that evening. That she had to be out long enough for the Charmings to go talk to Gold and get the cuff currently stuck on her wrist. At the minimum, she guessed at least a day had passed since the crash.

"Um… Well, I don't know how long ago this whole accident happened but it was... Um... October, I think? My birthday was coming up, so it had to be. I guess that means it must be somewhere around October 22nd? If a lot of time hasn't passed, of course."

"And the year, Emma?"

"2011."

Six months. She had no recollection of the last six months she'd spent there.

Regina fell back into the wheelchair and put a hand to her mouth. All the hatred she had for this woman subsided in that moment. She could see this as an advantage, even a win. She could claim Henry as her son now that Emma remembered nothing of their past together. Minutes ago, she may have fought for that. But now that she was in that room with her, seeing all those cuts and bruises and bandages on her, knowing that she had really done terrible damage to her, she just couldn't. She couldn't do that to her.

Emma frowned at her reaction. "That's not right, is it?"

"No, dear," she said sadly. "I don't know the exact date either or how much time we've been here in the hospital, but I do know the crash happened on May 12th, 2012."

"That means… I can't remember six months of my life?"

"Yeah. And what a six months it was."

"I'm sorry."

Regina glanced at the glass windows again, catching sight of the Charmings watching her intently. To make sure she didn't try to hurt Emma any further. Well, it looked like she had broken that promise, too. She _had_ hurt her further. She had taken away memories from her, the most precious of them being the last three weeks that she had spent with her family. Emma would now be separated from her family once again because she didn't remember who they were. All because of a simple desired victory at dinner that resulted in her smashing her car into Emma's.

When she separated Emma from her family with the curse and took away everyone's memories, she had felt nothing but satisfaction at what she had deemed to be her happy ending at the time. But this? It wasn't the same. This was heartbreaking to her.

"I'm sorry," the blonde repeated quietly.

 _Sorry._

 _She's sorry._

 _She thinks she has to apologize to me for not being able to remember._

Regina looked away from the windows and down at her now shaking hands. She could feel the tears coming.

She was wrong when she thought only one of them would snap when her and Emma had pretended to get along with each other for Henry's sake. It was never a matter of who would going to break. It was just a matter of who would reach that point first.

Emma's moment was at dinner.

And now, this was hers.

Regina spoke with a voice choked with sadness.

"It's not your fault, Emma. It's mine. I took that time away from you."

* * *

 _Should I continue? Leave a review and let me know what you think! :)_


	2. I Trust You, and I Forgive You

_**A/N:** Thank you for all the lovely reviews, favorites, and follows everyone! To one of my reviewers, this chapter should clear up why Emma remembers Regina but not Henry. Also, I can't say yet whether Emma will remember everything, some things, or nothing at all. I have an idea, but you'll have to wait and see. _

_Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

 _Chapter Two: I Trust You, and I Forgive You_

Regina let the tears fall. She kept her head down, never looking at Emma as the tears rolled down her face. She swore she would never let the blonde see her break down, let alone anyone in this town. She didn't want to appear weak, show that she was vulnerable and could fall to pieces if she was pushed far enough. For nearly twenty eight years, she had been successful with that. Then she had almost lost Henry for good because of her sleeping curse that was meant for Emma, and she had let that part of herself show. And now, this would be the second time she let that part of herself rise to the surface.

She had felt this way when Henry took the sleeping curse over Emma. It was another desperate act she had taken to secure her victory, and it had backfired on her, with Henry paying the ultimate sacrifice. And here she had done it again, the plan similarly backfiring with Emma paying the price.

She had accused Mary Margaret of never knowing when to quit meddling with things. Maybe she should be taking her own advice. She had caused years of destruction to achieve her happy ending, and she still couldn't say that she had it. And maybe she could have had it. Complying with the blonde for Henry's sake could have mended past tensions with the Charmings and possibly brought her closer to Emma. Henry would have certainly been happy. He would have trusted her more. He may have even seen her as a hero then. And all of that could have been enough for her.

Could have.

Unfortunately, could haves hadn't resonated with her during dinner that night.

"Regina?" the blonde asked gently. "Are you okay?"

Of course she wasn't okay. She wished the damn tears would stop coming. She knew Emma's parents were out there watching her, and they no doubt saw the quick change in composure. They would know something was up, and she wouldn't be surprised if they had figured out what had happened.

She just needed to be alone where no one would see how deeply this had affected her.

"Regina?"

She brought her hand to her eyes and wiped away the new forming tears. "I'm fine, Emma," she said quickly, taking a deep breath and turning around in the wheelchair as best as she could.

"Wait, don't go! Please. I don't want you to be alone in this. We could talk..."

Regina suddenly snapped back to her old self and asked the blonde harshly, "And what? Things would just magically get better?"

 _Great choice of words, Regina._

Emma's voice trembled as she replied. "I… I don't know. I just know you're upset, and maybe talking about what happened would help?" She paused, but recovered rather quickly, her voice having regained strength. "You saw how I was before you came. I was scared, and I think you are, too. Maybe. And… Well, I trust you. I mean, I don't really know anything about you besides your name and that we crashed into each other, but something tells me that I can trust you."

"I wouldn't hold on too tightly to that something."

"Regina, please. Just stay."

Her eyes were watering again. She needed to get out of that room and back to her own. _Now._

She turned her head slightly, and she could see Emma in her peripheral vision.

"I've already done enough damage to you, Emma. If you trust me, then hear me out on this." She waited, making sure the blonde wouldn't interrupt her before she continued. When she seemed intent on listening, she spoke up again. "Confide in those two out there, confide in your son, Henry… But me? _Don't_ confide in me."

"Regina…"

She turned back towards the door and shook her head. Emma didn't speak again, and even when David came to open the door for her, she made no sound. She wheeled herself back out into the hallway and was immediately met with Mary Margaret's disheartened expression.

"She… She doesn't remember, does she?"

"No."

David came to his wife's side, putting his arm around her shoulder and rubbing it gently. She looked down at the ground for a few seconds before talking again in a dejected tone.

"You took her memories. Just like you did with us."

"It wasn't intentional this time."

Mary Margaret could only give her a small nod.

"How much of her memories has she lost?" David asked.

"Six months. She thinks the crash happened in October of last year, sometime before her birthday." She needed to know how much time she had lost since the accident and make sure that her own memory was intact. "What's the date?"

"May 15th, 2012," David said.

"And the crash? That happened three days ago then? And that's how long Emma and I were out for?"

They both nodded.

She had told Emma the right date of the crash then.

Mary Margaret spoke up suddenly. "How does she remember you? If she can't remember us, or anything about the curse, how could she possibly remember who you are?"

"She doesn't remember who I am or the past she shared with me. She only remembers yelling my name and seeing my face before the collision occurred. And since that's the last thing she remembers before waking up in the hospital, she's holding on to that. Something about that memory makes her feel… Safe, I guess."

"But _you_ crashed into her," Mary Margaret said.

"I know, but because I'm familiar, she feels safe. You two, on the other hand, are strangers to her. And to wake up to a complete stranger trying to comfort you, especially after being through a traumatic event like a car crash? Well, it makes sense that she panicked." She stopped when a new thought came to her. What exactly did Mary Margaret say to Emma when she woke up? Had it been something that the woman said to her in that moment that set her off? "Wait. You didn't say that you were her mother, did you?"

"I… I never got the chance to. She started screaming for you seconds after she woke up." Mary Margaret let out a sigh. "I guess we can't tell her we're her parents now. At least not until her memory recovers."

Regina could detect the doubt in her voice. The one person who always seemed so hopeful that things would work themselves out was now losing faith in hope itself. She had already lost Emma once from the curse, and she had lost her again, too soon after the curse had been broken. It was possible that Emma would recover her memories fully. However, it was entirely possible that Emma would only recover very little of those past six months, or nothing at all. And to convince her that fairytales and magic existed? She knew Henry had difficulty with that the first time, and it had taken a sleeping curse for her to finally believe it was all real.

David brought Mary Margaret closer to him. "Hey. Emma _will_ remember. It'll just take some time."

"Yeah. Kind of like it took twenty eight years for us to remember her."

Regina noticed Mary Margaret look in her direction as she said that. She refrained from shaking her head in disgust, not having the energy to fight over the past. She could feel her headache returning, and she really just needed to be alone to think everything over. "This is different, Mary Margaret. Magic wasn't involved. You know it won't take nearly that long for her to remember."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Regina is right, " David said. "It may take a couple of months, maybe more than a year, but as she gets more comfortable with all of us, things will start coming back to her."

Regina wanted to roll her eyes at David's first comment, but she withheld from that, too, and instead glanced down the hallway, searching for Whale. He had conveniently disappeared since bringing her to Emma's room. She couldn't find him, but she did see someone else that she wasn't sure she was so ready to talk to yet. She swallowed hard.

Henry.

 _What I am going to tell him?_

As soon as he saw her, he yelled out, "Mom!" and ran towards her. He immediately pulled her into a hug. "You're okay. I was scared you weren't going to wake up."

Regina kissed his forehead and pulled him closer.

Ruby came in soon after him, and she turned to the Charmings. "I'm sorry. I would have called to let you know we were coming, but as soon as Henry got off the bus, he was adamant on seeing his mothers and took off running towards the hospital. I couldn't even convince him to eat something first."

"It's okay, Ruby," Mary Margaret said. "Thank you for picking him up and bringing him here."

Henry backed away from Regina slightly and looked behind him. "Did you figure out how it happened?"

David glanced at Regina hesitantly and then looked back at Henry. "It's still inconclusive, Henry. We don't know who hit who."

Regina waited for Mary Margaret to protest, but the woman never opened her mouth.

 _They're actually protecting me. They have no reason to. They know I hit her, and they've made their anger about it clear to me. Why are they trying to protect me?_

Henry turned back to her. "Do you remember?"

 _I can't lie to him. I've lied enough to him in the past._

"Yes, Henry. I remember. I was the one to hit her. So she ended up suffering more damage than me, and she lost her memories."

"We have to see what Emma says," David said. "That may not be what actually happened."

"Why are you suddenly protecting me?" she asked, looking up at David. "Emma's memories are comprised. I, on the other hand, know what happened, and my son deserves to know the truth. I've done enough lying to him, anyway." She looked back at Henry. "I'm sorry, dear."

"You… You hit her?"

She nodded slowly.

"But… But you promised to bring her home."

"I know, honey. And I was going to. I was trying to get to her, and then she started driving towards the town line…" Tears started to form in her eyes as Henry took a few steps back from her. "But I was going to cross, Henry. Crossing that line meant I would have lost my magic, but I was going to sacrifice that and follow her as far as I had to so I could bring her back. The weather caused both of us to lose control of our cars before either of us could cross, and I happened to be the first one to hit her." He was shaking his head now, tears forming in his own eyes as he backed up even further from her. "I'm sorry, Henry. I am really, _really_ sorry."

"This is all your fault. If it wasn't for what you did at dinner, Emma wouldn't have left. Emma wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"I'm sorry."

"All you had to do was get along with her. That was it!"

She just frowned, unable to find anything else to say. He was right. All she had to do was try to get along with her, and maybe they could have learned to like each other, or at least tolerate one another. But she hadn't even allowed enough time for that and acted selfish instead, thinking of how her own relationship with Henry would be destroyed if she let Emma spend too much time with him. And what had that ending up doing? It put a strain on her relationship with Henry, which was exactly what she had wanted to avoid.

She couldn't stop him from running away. She watched him turn on his heel and run back down the hallway.

"I'll go talk to him," David said, turning around immediately to follow him.

Ruby glanced at her and Mary Margaret uncomfortably before dismissing herself as well. "I'll, um, go talk to him, too."

Once she was out of sight, Mary Margaret turned to her. "What did you do at dinner that made her leave?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Mary Margaret folded her arms across her chest. "Regina…"

Regina glared at her. "I said, I _don't_ want to talk about it." She nodded down the hallway. "Get Whale and then leave me alone."

Mary Margaret looked at her for a few seconds and then let out a sigh. "Alright. I'll go get Whale."

Regina put a hand to her head and closed her eyes once she left. She let a few tears fall as she waited, but it wasn't until after Whale had helped her back into her own room and left her alone that she completely broke down. As soon as he walked out of the room, she turned on to her side, away from the doorway so no one would see her crying.

 _I've ruined everything. And now, I've lost Henry again._

She wept until she felt her eyes become weary and then fell asleep.

* * *

Regina woke up hours later, only to find that she was no longer alone. She sat up immediately when she registered who was sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"Emma?"

The blonde looked away from the tray table in front of her and gave her a kind smile. "Well, hello sleepy head."

"What are you doing here?"

Emma nodded towards her tray table. "I thought we could have dinner together."

"You want to have dinner with me?"

She shrugged. "Why not? I mean, whether or not it was my fault or yours, I feel like I owe it to you since I apparently stormed out on you the last time we had dinner. And well, we never got the chance to talk about what happened."

"I'm really not in the mood to talk, Emma."

"I don't care."

"What?"

"Look. I can tell you were crying earlier. Your eyes show it."

Regina looked away in discomfort.

"Wouldn't you rather have someone to talk to than be alone in this?"

"Emma, I told you…"

"I know. Don't confide in you. But I saw what happened after you left my room, and those people out there? Even the kid who I assume is my son who ran away from you? They all seem to blame you for what happened. I can read it in their expressions. And I just can't confide in them, Regina. Not when they all seem so unwilling to forgive you."

She looked back at her. "Why should they? I hit you. You can't remember the last six months of your life because of what I did to you."

"Because, Regina! It was an accident! I mean, I just don't get it. I'm the one who got hurt and I forgive you!"

She was surprised by how passionate the blonde's words were. Emma really felt for her, despite knowing absolutely nothing about her. After all of the opposition she had faced that day, she was thankful to have one person treat her with such kindness, even if that person used to hate her. Maybe opening up to Emma wouldn't be such a bad thing.

"You… You forgive me?"

"Of course. And I just know that you didn't mean to do it. I obviously don't remember a damn thing about that night besides yelling for you and seeing your face before the impact, but like I told you earlier, I _trust_ you. And I just _trust_ that you didn't hit me on purpose."

Regina smiled. "Thank you, Emma. It really means a lot to me that you believe me. Honestly."

She gave her a small nod.

"We never really got along before, but it's nice that you're on my side for once."

"So I take it that means we weren't best buds before the crash?"

Regina laughed at the blonde's humor. "Not even close. We were enemies."

"Enemies? Damn. That can't be good for our son to see."

Had Emma really just said that? Our son? That had to be the first time that she ever allowed the term to escape her lips, and Regina actually didn't mind how it sounded.

"Yeah, I suppose it's not."

"Well, maybe we needed this then. We get to start fresh. So…" Emma reached over to the wheelchair next to her and held up a smaller tray table that Regina hadn't noticed before. She took it from her and then placed it in front of her. "Here's to starting over with a rather shitty dinner, I apologize. But putting all that aside, why don't you tell me a little about yourself, Regina?"

Regina glanced down at the food on her plate. "Well, for starters, if you remembered anything about me, you'd know that I like to eat healthy, so I'd much prefer salad from the hospital cafeteria over this crap that's on my plate." She picked up her plastic fork and poked one of the chicken nuggets with it. "I'm literally eating a meal that students from Henry's grade would order from the hot lunch line."

"Hey, I've already established our dinner sucks! Besides. It was Dr. Whale who brought it to me. He didn't exactly take an order from me when I asked for food."

"Oh, I'll make sure that he does next time."

Emma laughed. "Okay. So you like to eat healthy. What else would you like me to know about you, Regina?"

"Maybe I should tell you my last name?"

"That would probably be helpful. You know, just in case I meet another Regina here or something."

"Don't worry. I'm the only Regina here."

"Good to know."

She grinned. She could really get used to this Emma. "I'm Regina Mills. I'm the mayor of Storybrooke. I adopted your son eleven years ago. His name is Henry Daniel Mills. I named him after my father, Henry, and after my former love, Daniel. Both of whom hold a very special place in my heart and unfortunately died undeservingly."

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Regina."

She wiped away a few tears that had escaped her eyes at the thought of both her father's and Daniel's death. "Um… Anyway… Henry. He went to go find you on your twenty eighth birthday and brought you here, so that's how you wound up in Storybrooke, about six months ago. We met that night because of him, and when you brought him back home, I invited you inside for drinks. We didn't have a very long conversation, but had you remembered something about our short time together from that night, I bet you would have said you had a glass of best apple cider you've ever tasted."

Emma immediately smiled, and for the first time that day, Regina felt completely at ease.

 _Maybe this road to recovery won't be so bad after all._

* * *

 _Thoughts? I always love to hear from you! I'll try to get the next update within a week or so._


	3. Stay With Me

**_A/N:_** _Thank you for the response for this story so far. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying it. :)_

* * *

 _Chapter Three: Stay With Me_

Mary Margaret looked down at the picture in her hands. It was of the three of them, her, David, and Emma at Granny's diner. Ruby had taken it for them. The memory had been captured nearly a week ago, and it was the only picture she had of them together as a family. And now that family had been torn apart once again by Regina, with Emma having no recollection of her and David being her parents.

She placed the picture back on the counter as David walked into the kitchen.

 _She_ will _remember. You know it._

The thought still didn't make her any less upset with Regina. She was the one who caused Emma to drive off in an angered state on a stormy night, she had been the one to hit her, and yet it was her daughter that ended up facing the worst of the damage. It wasn't fair.

David came over to her and put his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him, and he kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes for a while, thinking back to Henry's interaction with his adoptive mother at the hospital. David had talked to him after he ran off, trying to convince him that Regina hadn't gone after Emma with the intentions of crashing into her car and that she really did mean she was sorry about the whole accident. But it was hard to convince him of any of that when David was questioning the situation himself, and she hadn't been of much help either, sharing similar suspicions as her husband. As a result, Henry was quiet most of the evening, only speaking to them if their words required a response from him.

"Why did we protect her? Why didn't we tell Henry what happened?"

"I thought we agreed it was best for Emma and Regina to explain to him what happened. That Henry would want to hear it from them."

"I know, but even after Regina told him that she hit Emma in the crash, we still tried to protect her."

"I don't think we were trying to protect her. We were trying to protect Henry from seeing what his adoptive mother is capable of doing. He may have read the stories, but he never knew Regina as the Evil Queen like we did. And because of that, he will always see her as his mother first. No matter what she has done in her past, he does love her."

"And that's why he believes so much her in ability to change for the better."

Mary Margaret had believed it, too. There was good in Regina. She had seen that. Despite the numerous chances she had given to her to show she could turn away from evil that had failed, despite framing her for Kathryn's murder while they were under the curse, despite _everything_ she had done to get revenge on her for Daniel's death, she still believed Regina could be good. That the kindhearted woman who had saved her from the wild steed and believed in true love and welcomed her as family all those years ago had never completely disappeared. As much as she still wanted to hold on to all of that now, her hope was beginning to run out. And losing Emma so soon after being reunited with her because of something Regina had caused clearly out of hate for her daughter… She just didn't know what to think anymore.

"Can we trust Regina? That what she tells us about that night is the truth?" She turned around and looked up at David. "Her demeanor changed when she left Emma's room. She did seem upset."

"That may have been more attributed to what Henry would think over feeling bad for Emma."

"Maybe."

David shrugged. "We can't know for sure. But until Regina can show us she is trustworthy, we have to keep a watch on her and make sure she doesn't try to hurt Emma any further. And that means she is not getting her magic back any time soon."

Mary Margaret nodded.

"As for now, I think we should head off to bed. It's getting pretty late."

She glanced behind her shoulder and read the stove clock. It was nearly two in the morning, and they both had to be up early for work in a couple of hours. She looked back at him. "Yeah. I suppose we should."

Mary Margaret quickly checked in on Henry one last time, saw that he was sleeping peacefully, and then joined David back downstairs in their bedroom.

* * *

It was coming back in flashes.

She was dreaming, but she didn't recognize that at the moment. It all felt too real.

 _Bad weather. Raining like crazy._

 _Losing control of the car._

 _A flash of lightning. Booming thunder. And then…_

 _Her face. She's so scared. I can't stop the car. We're going to collide. I can't stop it from happening._

 _Regina!_

 _REGINA!_

 _No, no!_

 _She's dead._

 _She's dead!_

Emma woke up with a frantic scream, sitting up in her hospital bed as soon as she opened her eyes. She glanced wildly around the room and yelled for a nurse until a woman appeared in her room. She knew it was late, but she needed to see her. She needed to know she was okay. Of course, at the back of her mind, she knew that Regina was fine. She had eaten dinner with her hours ago, and they'd had quite an enjoyable conversation before she had dismissed herself and headed back to her own room to sleep. Regina was most likely sleeping herself right now and probably wouldn't be too thrilled to be woken up in the middle of the night. But the dream? No. A _nightmare_ was a more appropriate term for it… She had to see her. She just had to.

The nurse didn't protest at her request to get Regina. She simply nodded and swiftly left the room.

Emma pulled her knees close to her chest and stared blankly at the wall in front of her, rocking slightly as she waited for Regina to arrive.

A few minutes later, the brunette entered the room, rolling her wheelchair over to her bedside. "Emma?" she asked groggily, standing up slowly and steading herself next to the bed. Emma heard her, but she didn't respond, her gaze still fixed on the wall. "Emma." She felt Regina place a hand on her knee, and she turned to look at her, her green eyes connecting with concerned brown ones. She immediately hugged her. Regina seemed a little tense at first, conveying her discomfort with the hug, but she soon wrapped her arms around her and rested her head on her shoulder as she pulled her closer.

"Bad dream?"

"Yes."

"Of the crash?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah, but…" She tightened the embrace. "Can I have a moment?"

"Of course, Emma."

"Thank you."

Regina began to rub comforting circles on her back. Emma let herself close her eyes, the terror of the nightmare slowly fading away and being replaced by a warm tranquility with being so close to the brunette. She wasn't dead, she had never been killed during the impact… No… Regina was very much alive, she could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, she was here with her right now… She felt more consoled that night than she had when she first woke up after the accident with being able to hold her, and it gave her reassurance that her dream was in fact just a dream. That her mind was only playing tricks on her and trying to make her believe things that weren't really true.

Yet despite the moment she was currently sharing with Regina and what she had learned about the crash from her earlier that day, she couldn't completely shake off the fear that maybe this had all been her fault, that she had been the one to crash into the brunette, that she was the reason for the two of them ending up in the hospital. She trusted Regina, but maybe she was lying to her about hitting her, protecting her from the guilt for being the one responsible for the car crash. And maybe that was why she'd dreamt of the crash twice that day, it all serving as a painful reminder of the truth.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly, tears forming in her eyes then.

"Don't be. It might be nearly four in the morning, but you need me right now, and that's okay."

Emma shook her head. "No, Regina. I mean I'm sorry about all of this. I did this to us. This is my fault."

"Emma. This is not your fault."

She backed away from Regina and gazed into her eyes, trying to detect any hints in those brown depths of hers that would give away a different story to the crash, give her confirmation that the brunette hadn't hit her. But she saw too many emotions there, her mind incapable of deciphering what it could all mean in the frazzled state she was in. She settled for the question instead, voicing the apprehension that had been brought on by her nightmare.

"Are you sure you hit me?"

Regina tilted her head to the side slightly, seemingly surprised that she would question that bit of information.

"Yes, Emma. I know I hit you."

"You don't have to hide it from me. If I honestly hit you, please know that I am very, _very_ sorry that it happened. If I could have done something to stop it, just _something_ so we wouldn't be here right now…"

"I'm not lying to you. Everything happened because of me." The brunette put a hand to her cheek and rested it there for a few seconds before pulling it away. "You feel a little warm, Emma. It might just be an after effect from the dream, but I can go get a nurse if you're not feeling well…"

"No. I'm fine. It's just… My dream. It's making me question things. And I guess I just don't know what to believe because of the amnesia."

Regina nodded. "I know. It's hard. And it's going to take time to feel like you have control of your life again. But I assure you that everything I've told you since you woke up has been the truth."

Emma slowly exhaled and glanced back at the brunette. She took the time to read her expression, and there was no mistaking it. She had always been a pretty good judge to whether or not someone was lying to her, and this woman was definitely telling her the truth. And that trust was just there. The comprised relationship they apparently had before the accident meant nothing to her, the amnesia wiping the slate clean of the past they shared. What mattered now was that Regina had allowed her to confide in her, despite her hesitancy with the idea at first, and that she had been there for her when she needed her. It might have only been day one of her road to recovery, but in her mind, it still counted.

She settled back in her bed and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments before speaking up again. "Is it really almost four in the morning?"

Regina let out a chuckle. "Yeah."

"Ugh. I am _so_ sorry, Regina. I've been awfully annoying today, haven't I?"

"Yes. You certainly have."

Emma immediately turned her head to look at her, alarmed somewhat by the response, but she saw that she was grinning. She rolled on to her side and tucked her hands beneath her head, waiting for her to continue.

"However, I thought over things after you left my room, and you were right. Having someone to talk to about what happened _is_ better than facing it alone. Especially when that person is willing to listen to me and doesn't get angered at my presence given everything that's happened."

"Good thing I can't remember how much I hated you."

The brunette laughed.

"But maybe I never really gave you a chance."

"You may have given me a chance, but I know I never gave you one. Because of that, I never got to know who the real Emma Swan was. But I think I'm starting to now." She glanced down at her hands, appearing nervous all of the sudden. "I enjoyed talking with you at dinner." She paused for a few seconds and then looked up again, her eyes now glistening. "I wish our conversation at dinner the night of the crash had been more like that. _Then,_ maybe all of this wouldn't have happened."

"It's in the past, Regina. What happened at dinner that night, we can't change it. And even if we'd tried for pleasant conversation, it doesn't sound like I would have been so receptive of it either. But regardless of our relationship before this all happened, I'm glad that you've decided to be here for me now."

Regina smiled, and Emma couldn't help noticing how much her brown eyes lit up at her words. The brunette most likely never experienced such kindness from her before the crash, especially not in the sense where she was expressing her gratitude for her company. The thought made Emma mad at herself for not getting to know Regina better, and from what she had experienced so far in the time after they had both woken up in the hospital, she couldn't even begin to understand why there had been hostility between them.

She glanced down at Regina's hands, suddenly taking notice of a black cuff around her left wrist. She couldn't remember whether she had been wearing it at dinner that evening or when she had first visited her room. She nodded towards it. "What's that?"

Regina looked down at her wrist, and as she attempted to explain the cuff's origin, she never looked up at her. This action caught Emma's attention, and she knew immediately that something about the story was off.

"Oh. Um, just some piece of jewelry. I was wearing it before the crash, and the doctors gave it back to me when I woke up."

Emma folded her arms across her chest. "Okay."

The brunette looked up then, her defeat clear in her expression that she had not been successful with her lie. "And your superpower is telling you that I'm not telling you the truth."

Emma shook her head in confusion. "My what?"

"You told Henry once that your special superpower was being able to tell if someone was lying to you."

"Oh." She had never considered that to be a so called "superpower" of hers, or even a talent, but it was certainly one of the things she was better at in life.

"So this bracelet?" Regina held up her wrist for Emma see. "I was never wearing it before the crash. But explaining to you what it really is would be somewhat… Unbelievable to you right now." She let her hand fall back down on the edge of the bed. "When you recover more of your memory, I promise to explain to you what it is. All you need to know about it now is that it isn't pertinent to the crash or what happened that night."

Emma faced her with an intense stare, but only to mess with her. She knew Regina had told her the truth this time around, even if she hadn't given away too much about the object. She could tell the stare was starting to make her uneasy, and she tried her best not to lose her serious composure at the brunette's reaction.

"What are you doing?"

"Just checking to see if you're lying to me."

"I thought you trusted me."

She smirked. "I do, silly. I'm just testing this marvelous superpower I have."

Regina began to laugh, and Emma followed suit. Here they were, probably a little after four in the morning now, laughing about how her ability to tell if someone was lying to her was a superpower. She felt her conversation with Regina was easier now than it had been at dinner, and she wasn't sure if that was because they were both overtired or if they had both honestly become more comfortable with one another in the last twenty four hours. The conversation took a more serious tone, though, as Regina came back to the pressing question that she had asked only minutes after her arrival.

"Did you still want to tell me about your dream?"

As much as the idea of allowing the images of her dream play through her mind again terrified her, she didn't want to keep it to herself. That was the reason she really wanted to talk to Regina that night, and she figured that talking about it with her would make it all less frightening. Regina must have sensed her unease with the topic from the silence that hung above the two, as she said suddenly, "You don't have to. If it's too much right now, Emma, I don't want to make you…"

Emma shook her head. "No, it's okay. I want to talk about it."

"Okay."

Regina waited patiently for her as she gathered her words.

"I was driving somewhere. I'm not sure where I was going, but it was storming badly and I began to lose control of my car… And suddenly there was this flash of lightning and the sound of thunder… That's when I saw your face. Your terrified, frantic expression… It was the same thing I saw before waking up in the hospital. I started to panic because I knew I couldn't stop us from colliding, and I screamed your name out of fear…" She let out a shaky breath at the distressing memory. "It felt so real, Regina. Like I was reliving that moment again. I was afraid I'd hit you, and that you…" Her eyes watered as the thought came to her, and a few tears rolled down her face. "You'd died because of me."

"Well, you didn't hit me. I didn't die, and neither did you. We're both here now, and we're both going to get through this."

She gave her a small nod and let her words sink in.

 _Regina's okay. We're both okay. We're going to recover from this_ together.

 _Together._

Regina seemed to be processing everything she had told her, as she was looking past her now. She could detect pain in her expression, and it was the same look she had seen on her after she found out she lost her memories. She didn't like seeing her that way, as she knew the brunette was feeling tremendous guilt at what had happened. That was part of the reason for why she had apologized to Regina for not remembering at that time. Why she had told her she had forgiven her. She didn't want her to feel that way. The crash was an accident, an accident that could have happened to anyone. It didn't matter if she had angered her at dinner that night, it didn't matter if they hated each other before. In the end, they had been two drivers on the road at the same time in bad weather, and they had unfortunately both lost control of their cars before either of them could do anything to stop the inevitable from happening. But as Regina pointed out, they were both there now, alive and okay. And they had each other to heal.

"Regina?"

She looked back at her. "Hm?"

"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep again? Just knowing you're here… I feel my thoughts won't drift to the crash then."

"I understand." Regina reached for a chair that was near to her hospital bed, pulled it closer to her, and sat down. "I'll stay."

Emma rolled on to her back and then glanced at Regina. She had resumed her previous activity of staring off into the distance, and despite being deep in thought again, she could tell she was tired. Yet she had promised to stay with her, putting her own needs aside to make sure she drifted off to a peaceful sleep. If she ever needed her to do the same, Emma would be more than willing to do it, staying up with her all night if she had to.

"Regina?"

The brunette turned to look at her, but she didn't say anything this time, expecting her to ask another question. Emma didn't have any more questions to ask, at least none that were important enough and needed answering this early in the morning. She did have one more request of her, though, and it didn't require any words. She put out her hand, and Regina immediately took hold of it, resting her arm on the bed.

"Thank you."

She nodded.

Emma closed her eyes then, soon falling asleep without the fear of her nightmare returning to her.

* * *

By the time Emma had fallen asleep, it was nearly five in the morning. Regina could see the beginnings of the sunrise from the hospital room's window.

She had promised David that she would help Emma, and while she hadn't wanted to be bound to any promises to him or Mary Margaret at the time, things had taken a change since then.

She was going to help Emma, and she would keep her promise to David. However, she wasn't doing it for him or Mary Margaret. She was doing it for Emma.

The blonde needed her, and dare Regina admit it, she needed her as well. She was the only person who trusted her and would listen to her side of the story of what happened the night of the crash. While she couldn't tell her that the black cuff around her wrist restrained her from using magic (for obvious reasons at the moment), she had been honest with her in that she had told her nothing but the truth since waking up in the hospital.

Regina had an idea.

She looked at Emma, pulled her hand gently away from hers, and waited to see if she would stir. When she was sure Emma wasn't going to wake up, she got back into her wheelchair and then left the room as quietly as she could. Once she was in the hallway, she waved down a nurse. The nurse walked over to her, glancing quickly at Emma's room.

"Is everything okay with...?"

"Yes, everything is fine. She's asleep now. Can you get me a pen and paper?"

The nurse nodded and swiftly brought the items she requested to her. Regina took a moment to write a few things down on the pad of paper before she ripped the single sheet carefully away from the pad and folded the paper in half, writing Emma's name on it. She then handed everything back to the nurse.

"Leave this note in Miss Swan's room for me."

"Will do."

"Thank you."

With that, Regina headed back to her own room, thinking about what she had written. She didn't need to wait for Emma's reply, as she already knew how the blonde would respond to the suggestion she had proposed. And that thought made her smile.

* * *

 _As always, I hope you enjoyed! Leave a review and let me know what you thought. :)_


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